1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fishhook, and more particularly to an improved fishhook including an offset portion in its shank which acts to swivel the entire fishhook up to 360.degree. when pressure is applied to the line so as to automatically turn the hook and set the point in the fish in such a way as to exert a maximum hold, regardless of the angle at which pressure is applied to the line.
2. The Prior Art
In most conventional fishhooks the bend, point and shank are coplanar, so that when a fish attacks a baited hook and strikes a portion other than the point and an upward pull is exerted on the shank of the hook, there is a great danger of the hook's glancing away from the fish so that the catch is lost. Even if the fish swallows the point, the bend may lie flat between the jaws of the fish so that an upward pull only serves to slide the hook out of the mouth of the fish, again losing the catch.
By contrast the present invention provides an improved fishhook having an offset in its shank which acts as a lever, or eccentric, when any portion of the fishhook touches part of a fish to turn the fishhook in such a manner as to engage the point of the hook in the flesh of the fish. This is so whether the engagement is on the exterior of the body of the fish or within its mouth. Once the point of the hook engages the fish the offset causes the entire fishhook to swivel about its shank as much as 360.degree. due to the upward pull on the shank transmitted through the offset to the point. This swiveling action and upward pull automatically set the fishhook in the flesh of the fish in such a way as to exert maximum hold. As a result the improved fishhook of the present invention operates with a great deal more efficiency than conventional fishhooks and the number of fish caught is at a maximum.